“Why not make a daily pleasure out of a daily necessity?” asked Peter Mayle in A Year in Provence. In this beautiful French-provincial style kitchen in Sydney, it’s the personal touches – a vase of fragrant herbs or a bowl of yellow lemons – that bring the owners pleasure on a daily basis.
Unlike its sleek, modern counterpart, the French-provincial kitchen is, unashamedly, all about preparing, consuming and delighting in food. With pots and pans and various cooking implements in clear view, and bowls of produce and vases of fresh flowers or herbs, this style of kitchen celebrates the coming together of family and friends and the simple, everyday pleasures of good food.
“At family celebrations I adore cooking with my mother and my sister-in-law, each of us doing our own thing around the island, chatting and laughing. It’s a beautiful place to cook and just be,” says owner Jan Porter. “The kitchen is very much a family kitchen,” she says. “My husband and kids, when everyone’s home, always congregate there at the end of the day to have a glass of wine and a catch up.”
Initially, Jan and her husband were considering the property as a renovation project for a quick on-sale, but the couple were so struck by the northerly aspect of the property, its proximity to the city and the rise in the land on which the house sits, that it eventually became the family home.
DELIGHT IN THE DETAIL
The Porter’s kitchen was a new build, designed and installed by Provincial Kitchens in Clovelly, Sydney. The design brief called for plenty of storage, a large island bench to gather around, and a softer, ‘furniture feel’ to the cabinetry. “My favourite design feature is the canopy above the stove,” says Jan. “I love it. It’s not fancy or overembellished, it’s clean and simple and I think beautiful. I thought it would be difficult to create, but not at all. I gave Dominique from Provincial Kitchens a photo of one I had seen and she was able to match it perfectly, all in perfect proportion.”
The beauty is in the detail of this kitchen, from the clean, classic white subway tiles behind the stove to the stainless steel tea towel rack that runs along the island bench. A gorgeous three-light pendant finished in antique bronze and linen shades hanging above the island bench is both practical and decorative. The open end of the island displays an eclectic mix of French country and industrial antiques from Jan’s own company, The French Trader.
A SENSE OF ABUNDANCE
The island bench, topped in Kynos white marble is carried through to the kitchen benchtops and is the focal point of the room. It’s large enough to allow ample prep and cooking space, and plenty of room for bowls of produce and vases of herbs and flowers, creating a sense of abundance that is the key to any French kitchen.
“If you have the space, group together big bowls of produce such as brown onions, garlic, lemons or shallots on the bench,” suggests Jan. “They add a wonderful splash of colour and earthiness together with a simple jug of just one colour of flowers.”
The real charm of a provincial kitchen is created by adding personal touches such as kitchen accessories collected over the years, dog-eared cookbooks and colourful jars of preserves. Jan suggests opting for a simple painted finish, keeping decorative elements in the cabinetry and tiling to a minimum and allowing personal touches to become the main decorative elements.
“Use a hanging rail across the top of the splashback so you can hang up your good pots and pans – it always makes the kitchen look warm and inviting,” says Jan. “And, stack all your wooden chopping boards in a group as they make quite an impact and add life and warmth to the room.
KITCHEN ESSENTIALS
Kitchen – Provincial Kitchens
Paint scheme – Pascol Melted Snow
Lights above island – Gloucester three-light pendant from Magins
Sink – Shaws Classic Double
Tapware – Perrin & Rowe
Stove – Ilve
Wine fridge – Vintec
Rangehood – Qasair
Dishwasher – Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer
Story by Julia Andrews
Photography by Tony Potter
Styling by Kirstin Randl-Katalinic